US here. We have a Keurig and use the hot water on that for tea. It can brew without a little cup thingy (yes this is the technical term) for hot water. Much like many Australians and British cannot image living without a kettle, I cannot live without a very good rice cooker. I am half Japanese and the rice cooker has to be from Japan (meaning that my mom sends me one from Hawaii). Costco has a very nice 5.5 cup that is about $70-80. And much like tea prep, rice prep is not just counting cups and adding water. You must wash the rice till the water is clear. Its the way it has to be lol.

What type of strainer do you use to wash rice?

This is the way I was taught by my mom and Oba-chan (aunt). Put the rice into the pot. Fill with water and pour out using your hand as a strainer. After most of the water is poured out, "beat" in a stirring motion and count at least 50 turns. Alternate between filling/straining and the beating till the water runs clear. Before I used the markings on the side of the pot to fill with the proper amount of water, I used my finger to measure the water level. Japanese are very serious about rice....very, just trust me on this...lol.

US here. We have a Keurig and use the hot water on that for tea. It can brew without a little cup thingy (yes this is the technical term) for hot water. Much like many Australians and British cannot image living without a kettle, I cannot live without a very good rice cooker. I am half Japanese and the rice cooker has to be from Japan (meaning that my mom sends me one from Hawaii). Costco has a very nice 5.5 cup that is about $70-80. And much like tea prep, rice prep is not just counting cups and adding water. You must wash the rice till the water is clear. Its the way it has to be lol.

What type of strainer do you use to wash rice?

This is the way I was taught by my mom and Oba-chan (aunt). Put the rice into the pot. Fill with water and pour out using your hand as a strainer. After most of the water is poured out, "beat" in a stirring motion and count at least 50 turns. Alternate between filling/straining and the beating till the water runs clear. Before I used the markings on the side of the pot to fill with the proper amount of water, I used my finger to measure the water level. Japanese are very serious about rice....very, just trust me on this...lol.

I always wash rice (no asian heritage that I know of), it cooks much better. Funnily enough, my Indian friend saw me washing rice and wondered why I would bother in the UK. He said he would do it at home, because the rice might legitimately be dirty (bits of grit in it, etc), but he wasn't thinking about washing off excess starch. Having said that, he also asked me why I was washing fruit and veg, as that wasn't dirty either (I had to explain to him about pesticides).

Mind you, I get the impression that he was very coddled before he moved here. He told me his mum packs food in his case every time he's coming back to the UK, so it's possible that she does wash rice and fresh produce, and he just has no idea. In fact, that's more than likely.

US here. We have a Keurig and use the hot water on that for tea. It can brew without a little cup thingy (yes this is the technical term) for hot water. Much like many Australians and British cannot image living without a kettle, I cannot live without a very good rice cooker. I am half Japanese and the rice cooker has to be from Japan (meaning that my mom sends me one from Hawaii). Costco has a very nice 5.5 cup that is about $70-80. And much like tea prep, rice prep is not just counting cups and adding water. You must wash the rice till the water is clear. Its the way it has to be lol.

What type of strainer do you use to wash rice?

This is the way I was taught by my mom and Oba-chan (aunt). Put the rice into the pot. Fill with water and pour out using your hand as a strainer. After most of the water is poured out, "beat" in a stirring motion and count at least 50 turns. Alternate between filling/straining and the beating till the water runs clear. Before I used the markings on the side of the pot to fill with the proper amount of water, I used my finger to measure the water level. Japanese are very serious about rice....very, just trust me on this...lol.

I always wash rice (no asian heritage that I know of), it cooks much better. Funnily enough, my Indian friend saw me washing rice and wondered why I would bother in the UK. He said he would do it at home, because the rice might legitimately be dirty (bits of grit in it, etc), but he wasn't thinking about washing off excess starch. Having said that, he also asked me why I was washing fruit and veg, as that wasn't dirty either (I had to explain to him about pesticides).

Mind you, I get the impression that he was very coddled before he moved here. He told me his mum packs food in his case every time he's coming back to the UK, so it's possible that she does wash rice and fresh produce, and he just has no idea. In fact, that's more than likely.

You are right the rice does taste a lot better. I have to explain to people the difference in rice (medium grain="sticky" long grain=not sticky) a lot. Japanese use med grain, Chinese use long grain. That's why when you make fried rice use long grain. Sushi is med grain it sticky.

Okay, I broke down and bought an electric kettle. I got a small inexpensive one to keep at the office. It arrived on Tuesday and I can tell you that my English coworker was overjoyed! I must say I am amazed how quickly it boils water. It's very impressive. I also bought a small travel French press (again, because of this thread!) so I'll be making good use of the kettle, I'm sure. I may have to buy one for home, as well...

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What have you got? Is it food? Is it for me? I want it whatever it is!

If you don't have a kettle, how do you make cup of soup from a packet? Kettle is the easiest way, just pour it in.

Are you talking about stuff like ramen? Because I just crush it up into a bowl, put water in the bowl, and microwave it for 3.5 minutes.

In college, I didn't have a microwave. I put my pasta in the coffeepot and just ran my coffeemaker without coffee grounds or a filter. It caused all my pasta to be al dente. After 4 years of this, I forgot what pasta was supposed to be like and when I had it again elsewhere, I would chuckle and say "oh yeah. This is how soft pasta noodles are supposed to be!"